Eagles without line coach during OTAs

May 31, 2012|Reuters

The Sports Xchange

NFL Team Report - Philadelphia Eagles - INSIDE SLANT

Eagles coach Andy Reid has continually harped on the benefit for his young team of having a full offseason of field and classroom work this spring compared to last year when a 4 1/2-month lockout prevented rookies from even getting a peek at their playbook until the start of training camp.

Yet, one of their most important teachers -- offensive line coach Howard Mudd -- was nowhere to be found at the team's three-day rookie camp and the first two weeks of OTAs.

The 70-year-old Mudd, who came out of retirement last year to coach the Eagles' offensive line and turned a unit that was one of the team's biggest question marks going into the season into one of his greatest strengths, has been given the green light to stay home in Arizona and pass on the team's OTAs. He will return for the team's mandatory three-day minicamp, which begins on June 12, and then be back for the start of training camp on July 22.

It was one of the concessions head coach Andy Reid made to Mudd to get him to return for another season. Mudd had hip replacement surgery last season during the bye week and has bad knees and a degenerative back, mementos from his playing days. He does most of his coaching from a golf cart.

In Mudd's absence, assistant offensive line coach Eugene Chung has overseen the unit during the OTAs.

The Eagles return four of their five offensive line starters from last year. So, Mudd's absence is no big deal for them. But it could be for the fifth -- left tackle Demetress Bell.

The Eagles signed Bell in March about a week after their All-Pro left tackle, Jason Peters, ruptured his Achilles tendon during a workout. Mudd teaches a totally different blocking technique than most of the league's offensive line coaches. Most offensive linemen are taught to step backward in pass protection before taking on a pass-rusher. Mudd teaches his linemen to attack and strike the first blow.

Bell said it's been a big adjustment, but learned a lot from Mudd in classroom work before OTAs and has gotten more comfortable with the technique in the practice sessions.

"I don't think that will be a problem, the more that I'm here," Bell said.

While Mudd isn't at the OTAs, the Eagles are sending him the daily video of his unit. He has spent plenty of time on the phone with Bell after watching him on film.

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NFL Team Report - Philadelphia Eagles - NOTES, QUOTES

--LeSean McCoy is coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,309 yards, scored an NFL-high 17 rushing touchdowns and was a first-team All-Pro selection. But he still has room for improvement, according to Duce Staley, a former Eagles running back and now an assistant coach with the team.

"He'll be the first to tell you that he needs to improve his pass-blocking," Staley said. "When you talk about a complete back in this West Coast offense, pass-blocking is critical. That's one of the things he still needs to work on. And he can do better with route-running. That's one of the things that (Brian) Westbrook and myself (were good at). Coming out of the backfield, being able to beat the defender one-on-one at the drop of a dime. We knew that when we had one-on-one coverage, we were going to be able to beat that defender. (McCoy) has to understand how to read defenses better. He has to understand when it's man-to-man coverage and you got to get that eye of the tiger and he has to be able to take full advantage of that."

--The entire Eagles organization, including players, coaches and front-office executives, boarded buses after Wednesday morning's OTA and drove to Comegys Elementary School in Southwest Philadelphia for their annual spring playground build. The team painted interior and exterior murals, laid mosaic tiles, constructed play equipment, planted gardens and played with the children on a turf field that was added to the concrete playground. Center Jason Kelce allowed a few of the children to paint his massive Grizzly Adams-like beard pink.

--Defensive end Jason Babin missed the Eagles' first round of OTAs last week because he was on a bear-hunting expedition in Alaska. Babin didn't intend to miss any of the OTAs, but blizzard-like conditions delayed his flight home.

"I'm upset I missed (practice) because I don't miss stuff," said Babin, who had 18 sacks last season. "I think (the team) was really concerned because my phone didn't work and they didn't know what had happened to me."

They're going to be even more concerned about Babin's next offseason adventure. He intends to travel to Spain in early July to participate in the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

"Everyone thinks it's dangerous and hazardous," Babin said. "But it's not if it's done correctly and soberly. Bulls can't turn the corner on cobblestone, so as long as you're on the inside you're going to be all right. I broke the tape down like game film."